My mother was kind enough to let me know that I am a slacker and I have been neglecting my blog/sharing my days with Lacey with you (with her). So, after a two day absence, here we go!
Lacey is becoming a better and more secure dog everyday. She is feeling much better this week, and we have been enjoying a lot of playtime. She has taken a liking to her rawhide bone as well as her "wubba" (a toy made by Kong) & because of this, we have gotten the fetch thing down pretty well. I honestly think I have more fun playing fetch than she does...
She's really been enjoying the snow over the past week. Not only does she get to her "business" faster, but she also likes to jump around and play. It's really nice when she gets into a play-mode outside, since she is normally in fear-mode. I've been walking her with the gentle leader collar and dual looped leash to start teaching her not to pull and to stay behind me. Its been three days and she's really starting to respond. She doesn't like walking down the stairs with the leader on, but thats understandable, so I've started putting on the harness when we get downstairs.
After Lacey got sick last week, I decided to implement a "no laying on the furniture" rule. I was a slack foster dad for the first week as I pretty much let her relax wherever she wanted to. On Friday I started telling her "no" and making her lay on the floor next to me or would make her go to her crate to rest. If you are wondering about her progress, she's lying at my feet right now while I type this on the couch. (And I didn't even tell her to)
From the beginning of this blog I have suggested that Lacey is a really sweet dog. I am finding that the more that we break through her fear-based issues, the more I am finding her to be a very smart dog. All of Lacey's issues lie with trust and fear. She is comfortable enough in my apartment now that she can be herself. I have even started inviting friends over to meet her, and other than one time with my friend Eric, she has come out of her crate and greeted them/smothered them with love after about 5 minutes. Once she works past the outside issues, she's going to be a really happy dog.
